Good morning, Bethesda!

Fairly attractive brunette, late 20s/early 30s, sits down right next to a senior citizen, takes the window seat, proceeds to fidget with her smart phone. She reminds me a little of the Brit on the HBO series Girls. 

After a few minutes, the guy next to me straightens perceptibly.  Both of us are observing her sexting from different vantage points; he gets a clearer view from looking over her shoulder, while I get a more distorted rendition from the images reflected on the window pane she and I share.

OMG! WTH!  She just sent a naked picture of herself to some guy. It appears that she wants the favor reciprocated. My seatmate and I share an embarrassed moment but not enough to desist. After a few more explicit sexts, she checks her Facebook and then logs on to a popular singles dating site, where she proceeds to flirt unabashedly. All this and not even 8 am yet.  Here comes my stop and the next batch of voyeurs.

V Day

I hate that I hate what Valentine's Day has become.  Being asked what I got, what I’m getting, how I am celebrating is grating on my nerves.  It's almost better to play the coy and secretive card, because my love life is being judged by the degree of pomp and circumstance surrounding this most auspicious demi-holiday, which according to the New York Times is the 2^nd most celebrated day after New Year’s.  Honestly, one cannot help but react to the public outpouring of sentiment and get-togethers that people are planning or doing to celebrate V day.  It’s everywhere!  Billboards, TV, Facebook!  And I don’t think I am alone in the observation that exhibitionism is so much more rampant in social media during Valentine’s than any other occasion.  From bling to kinky underwear, the point is to remember not to compare what one got or not!  Then there’s the influx of people (mostly women) who never talk to you all year long and now are interested in spilling their V day bits.  It’s an outright skill to juggle “Ohhh, how romantic!” “That’s nice,” “The day isn’t over yet” or  “Christmas was good, right?”  The pressure!  Over the years I have reconciled myself to the fact the only way to survive V day (or any gift-giving holiday for that matter) is to keep one’s expectations at bay and even more important, to contain one’s disappointment at a manageable level.  Valentines, after all,  should not be exclusive to significant others, but open to family, friends, pets and whatnots.  As with any special occasion, it’s the thought and the sincerity of the effort that outweighs any material substitutions.  Special days are set aside each year to organize people who are not so inclined to daily or regular demonstrations of affection. Even with these reminders, there are no guarantees.  The bottom line – love your own self first.  If you want something bad enough, get it or do it yourself.  If you want others to get it/do it for you, give them specific instructions.  And to those who did take the time to remember you, don’t judge their care by the size of their package.  Revel in the fact that somebody cares.